Page 38 of Protect My Heart

The house was quiet. Too quiet. Where was Jim? The door to the guest room stood wide open with no man or dog in sight. On the main level the under-counter lights gave the kitchen enough illumination to maneuver around without turning on the overhead lights. Finding the rooms empty, Liz continued down to the basement. Here she heard signs of life. The clank of the weights in the gym, Jim’s grunts as he lifted the barbell, and the soft whimpers of Tigger as he gave chase in his dreams. Liz paused at the gym doorway and took in the scene. Yup, just as she thought. Tigger was curled up in the corner, his paws twitching, and Jim was at the weight bench doing arm curls. Shirtless.

Cords popped and muscles bulged. Inwardly, she fanned herself. She’d seen him shirtless, and knew the man was built. But, seeing all that toned flesh glistening with sweat… Dang if it didn’t make her mouth water. Her tongue darted out and instinctively licked her lips. Serious man candy. And he was in her house.

He switched it up and did a butterfly curl and air backed up in her lungs. She blew out the breath on a whistle. It rung out in the room, loud enough for Jim to stop mid curl.

Pull it together, Liz. She shifted her feet and cleared her throat. Still nothing came to her mind to say but “You must work out a lot.”

Smooth, real smooth.

He set the weights down and grabbed a towel, wiping his face. When he dropped the towel, his grin flashed. He knew exactly what she was thinking. Crap.

“I’ll let you get back to what you were doing.” She turned to leave but his question stopped her.

“Why?”

“Why? What?”

“You can stay and work out, or hell, watch if you want. I don’t mind.” His eyes sparkled as he waited to see her response.

Cocky bastard. Did he just flex his pecks? Damn him. Well, two could play at that game. She dropped her head to the side then rolled it around before meeting his gaze. “I could use a little stress reliever.”

She peeled off her sweater and pulled down the bottom of her tank top, which set the girls high enough to have a good amount of cleavage popping out the top. With slow and calculated moves, she stretched up then down, giving him a nice peek at her assets.

His eyes followed her movements as he wiped his hand across his chest. Dang, if her eyes didn’t watch his movements too, and her fingers flexed at the need to follow the path his hand led across his body. She needed to retreat. He was a master at this game, and she had a feeling this was a losing battle. But her mother didn’t raise a quitter, so she pushed on.

“I’m not really dressed for a workout... but I could spot you if you want.” She gestured to the bar. Plates totaling 120 pounds sat on the bar. “I could reduce the weight if it’s too much.”

“Now you’re just insulting me.” Jim lay back and waited for her to move to the head of the bench. His eyes twinkled as he reached for the bar.

Her eyes focused on his long fingers as they wrapped around the metal shaft. His forearms flexed. Corded muscles bunched and relaxed, and with one last lightning flash smile, he lifted the weight without even the hint of a grunt or groan.

“One, two,” Liz counted out loud.

Jim rested the bar on his chest and looked her square in the eyes. “Do you have to count?”

“I figured it would give me something to do since you’re obviously going to be at this a while.” She gave him her best toothpaste-commercial smile.

By the time she counted thirty, beads of sweat covered his face, and his breath came out in puffs. The corner of her lip crept up a bit higher with each grunt he gave. Oh, he tried to hide them, but Liz loved when he acted all tough. The thought of egging him on for more crossed her mind, but she didn’t have it in her to be that mean. “I think you have the upper body workout down, how about some core. Planks or sit-ups?”

Relief flashed in his eyes. “Would you hold my feet?”

He moved to the mat, knees up, and hands clasped behind his head. Liz knelt in front of him and placed her hands on his shoes. With each sit-up, Jim’s face inched closer to hers. She averted her gaze and watched the fine hairs on his calves move with each exhale. Her grip on his feet tightened. Not that she needed to hold him in place, but to keep her hands from traveling up the sculpted muscles of his legs. The hair looked soft. She was dying to run her fingers through it from his ankles to the wet strands on the top of his head.

“You aren’t counting.”

“Huh?” His question pulled her gaze to his sweat-soaked face. “No, I was but you didn’t like me counting out loud.”

Liar, liar. She picked a random number and started counting. “Thirteen, fourteen.”

On an upward move he stopped, a breath from her face. He grinned and her stomach tightened. “I was on twenty-six. What’s got you so distracted, Doc?”

His damn cocky grin. She wanted to wipe it off his smug, handsome face, but the smell of sweat and energy drink made her mouth go dry. What was she going to say? She was sure she had a snappy retort on the tip of her tongue.

He smelled good, not like a men’s locker room but just a touch of musk and salt. She really wanted to taste him. She licked her lips. Yup, one tiny taste, starting with his abs.

Okay, more than one. She wanted to work her way up the dips and valleys of his rock-hard torso to his lips, the ones currently smirking at her. That smirk, she almost groaned, she should pull back. So why did she move closer?

His hand slipped under her hair and caressed her neck as he gently pulled her the rest of the way. Her eyes drifted closed. She waited. The feel of his fingers on her scalp, the smell of his sweat, her skin tightened with anticipation. She could sense his lips so close, but waiting. With the barest of movement, she cracked open her eyelid. Jim’s dark gaze held lust and an intensity she hadn’t seen before. Her stomach twisted, anticipating his next move.